Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb and Pippa Wilson set the standard for British sailors at the Breitling Regatta in Holland on Saturday (26 May), winning gold in the Yngling class and hitting form in time for the ISAF World Sailing Championships in Cascais (POR) which get underway in just over a month s time.
Since forming as a trio last autumn, Ayton, Webb and Wilson have consistently reached the podium at every event they ve raced in, but today in Medemblik they scored their first gold together, and in doing so boosted Ayton s enviable track record of placing within the top seven at every regatta she s helmed in following the Athens Olympics.
The Skandia Team GBR sailors went into the final medal race, held on Saturday evening, in pole position in spite of picking up a black flag amongst their three race results earlier in the day. In the final ten-boat showdown they were first to the first windward mark, but had two Dutch boats ahead of them by the time they reached the windward mark for the second time.
Some good downwind pace pulled them back one place, and Team Mirabaud finished the medal race in second place, which handed them the gold medal with a 16 point margin over Dutch trio Mandy Mulder, Brechtje vd Werf and Marije Kampen, who crossed first ahead of the Brits in the final.
The Breitling Regatta is the last event before the Worlds and as a team it was important for us to perform, a delighted Ayton explained. It proved to be a tricky week the first half of the regatta was under five knots and this is an area we ve been weak in in the past, and is something we ve been working hard on.
Our speed and our tactics have improved in these conditions and we re really gelling as a team. Sarah [Webb] is a real force to be reckoned with in the boat with her experience, tough attitude and physical strength, while Pippa has really added another dimension to our team. Having only been with us for six months she s proved an exceptional talent and in many ways has been the missing link.
Ayton continued: The three of us have been working closely with our coach Paul Brotherton, who s very much the fourth member of our team. Three is a difficult number, but Paul s experience has helped us form a solid team dynamic which has been and will be key for the Worlds in Cascais.
It s been a long week we ve had 13 races and it s been mentally and physically demanding and pur result here just goes to show that all the hours that Sarah and Pippa have been putting in at the gym are paying dividends.
Our next challenge is Cascais we re really looking forward to it as a team, we re ready and prepared. We ve been training there quite a bit and I think the conditions are going to suit us. It s going to be a regatta where you need an all round set-up and need to be solid tactically as a team.
The final medal race for the 470 men was also held on Saturday evening Athens silver medallists Nick Rogers and Joe Glanfield booked their place in the final ten with results of 7,1,2 from their races earlier in the day. The British pair came second in the double-points scoring final race, which was enough to put them in fifth place overall in the final results.
Medal races for the remaining events are scheduled for Sunday (27 May), and 11 British crews will be represented in eight classes. The women s single-handed Laser Radial event has four British sailors vying for honours Penny Clark is the highest placed Skandia Team GBR sailor, currently in third place overall with 19,16,10 from the fleet s three races today. Charlotte Dobson had an impressive day with 8,6,5 pushing her up into fourth, while Andrea Brewster and Athens Olympian Laura Baldwin are in fifth and sixth places respectively.
Nick Dempsey heads into the final day in third place in the RS:X class, eight points off the gold medal position. The Olympic bronze medallist enjoyed a race win and a fourth before a mistimed start earned him a black flag at the beginning of the third race.
European Champions across three classes are poised in fourth place heading into the final day. In the 49er class, Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes pulled up to fourth from their eighth place overnight with 7,8,6 from today, while 13,16,4 for Ed Wright saw him drop just outside of the medal positions in the Finn class. Laser sailor Paul Goodison had a solid day with 8,8,4 pulling him up into fourth place and within three points of the silver medal position, currently occupied by Portugal s Gustavo Lima.
Tornado sailors Leigh McMillan and Will Howden booked their berth in the final medal race with 10,12,2 for their efforts today, while 470 sailors Christina Bassadone and Saskia Clark and the new Star pairing of Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson will also feature in tomorrow s finals, currently in sixth and eighth places respectively.